Superintendent's Memo #075-10

SUBJECT: Data Collection for Teacher/Student Industry Credentialing, Occupational Competency Assessments and Related External Examinations for Career and Technical Education, School Year 2009-2010

From January 2004 through April 2010 the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE) has been conducting industry certification training and testing academies which have been funded through the federal Perkins Act. These certifications help career and technical education teachers become better qualified to teach current market skills and allow teachers to provide students the opportunity to obtain student-selected verified credits.

Students may earn verified credits by achieving certain industry certification credentials while passing related career and technical education programs or courses. Effective with the graduating class of 2004, students were eligible to use industry certification credentials for verified credits to meet certain graduation requirements.

Teacher Certification

The Department of Education must report the number of career and technical education teachers who have obtained industry certification credentials through personal, local, or state-supported training efforts as well as the number of teachers who are using occupational competency assessments (NOCTI) related to the Perkins IV technical skills assessment requirement. This information is important in planning for the 2010–2011 industry certification training academies. Updated information on CTE teacher certification and/or external testing for technical skills assessment should be reported to the Virginia Department of Education using the Career and Technical Education Credentialing Data Collection System that is available using the Department’s Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS). The “collection window” for submitting this data will be May 1 through June 30, 2010. This should be a “one time” submission of data. Multiple submissions during the “collection window” can be made; however, all previously submitted data will be erased with the most current data submission.

Student Certification

The CodeofVirginia and the federal Perkins IV technical skills assessment legislation require that local school boards report annually on the number of student industry certifications, state licensures, and National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) assessments administered to students (pass/fail data).

Students who took industry certification examinations or NOCTI occupational competency assessments during the school year 2009-2010 should be reported (pass/fail data) to the Virginia Department of Education using the Career and Technical Education Credentialing Data Collection System that is available using the Department’s Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS). The “collection window” for submitting this data will be May 1 through June 30, 2010. This should be a “one time” submission of data. Multiple submissions during the “collection window” can be made; however, all previously submitted data will be erased with the most current data submission.

All credentials that will be reported using the Credentialing Data Collection System are listed in Attachment A, “Master List of Career and Technical Education Credentials.” These credentials are considered eligible for student-selected verified credit as well as Perkins IV technical skills assessment as either industry certification “pathway examinations,” full certification programs, NOCTI occupational competency assessments, or licensures.

Regional or school division technical center student credentialing data should be reported with “home or feeder” school data. This is necessary as technical centers do not receive a school report card.

All data will be used for the 2010 School Report Card as well as being used in credentialing data summaries to justify state reimbursement to school divisions.

Webinar sessions explaining data collection formats and the use of the Career and Technical Education Credentialing Data Collection System (using the Single Sign-on for Web Systems) are available. See the Virginia Department of Education website at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/ and click on “Webinars.”

Questions should be addressed to Gordon Creasy, specialist for industry certification and licensure, via e-mail Gordon.Creasy@doe.virginia.gov or telephone (804) 225-2057.